by Rich Bourdeau
Last month (Q1-2016) Forrester released its Forrester Wave: Private Cloud Software Suites and Forrester Wave: Hybrid Cloud Software Suites evaluation reports where it named vRealize Automation 6.2 one of the leaders in both the private and hybrid cloud management categories. Although the report was published in Q1-2016, the extensive evaluation of the products in these report started back in July 2015. In Q4-2015, VMware released vRealize Automation 7.0 which further extends its lead in the cloud management marketplace.
Version 7.0 will accelerate your time to value by simplifying the initial configuration process and making it easier to design both infrastructure and application services with a new graphical design canvas and unified blueprint model. Enhanced VMware NSX integration makes it easier to design and enforce application-centric connectivity and security standards. The new Event Broker simplifies invoking multi-vendor tools and applications as part of your automated service delivery process. The new enhanced API and blueprint as code makes it easier for developers and DevOps admins to invoke vRealize Automation services from their existing automation processes.
TechTarget: How vRealize Automation 7 builds on previous versions
But don’t take my word for it. Rob Bastiaansen founder of VMwarebits.com and independent trainer and consultant specializing on VMware and Linux recently completed his hands on evaluation of vRealize Automation 7.0. His evaluation is available in a recent TechTarget article: How vRealize Automation 7 builds on previous versions. The report is very detailed with example of many of the changes between versions 6 and 7. Here are some highlights from the full report.
- The Initial installation and configuration
“In my years of experience, I have had the opportunity to use multiple versions of VMware vRealize Automation, and I have watched its installation process become more and more streamlined with each new version. As such, I can say with some confidence that vRealize Automation 7 has nearly perfected this installation process.” - The new blueprint designer
“There is now only one Blueprint Designer that allows you to not only create a simple blueprint for a Windows server, but also for a complete tiered application stack. This includes integration with network and security to set up the networking environment for your VMs and application stack.” - Event driven extensibility options
“VRealize Automation extensibility is a priority for many customers, so it’s good to see that vRA 7 has moved toward an event-driven model that allows for a more consistent approach throughout the entire software stack.” - Summary
“All in all, vRealize Automation 7 has removed many of the shortcomings of the previous version, strongly improving the multi-tenancy characteristics of the product. Removing the old Application Services component and integrating it with the central Blueprint Designer is a big step and hopefully also interests more customers in using that part of the software.”
Like to see a demo?
Take a quick peek at some of vRealize Automation 7.0’s new features in this spotlight overview and demo by Jad El Zein.
Need help getting the software installed?
vRealize Automation 7.0’s install and initial setup has been greatly simplified from previous versions, but take a few minutes to watch this installation and configuration video by Jimmy Alvarez and it will only enhance your experience.
More Info
Need help deploying your private cloud infrastructure or developing your business justification? Contact us and our experts can help your team build the business case and the solution that will maximize your IT productivity.
For exclusive content and updates, follow us on Twitter @vmwarecloudauto and subscribe to our VMware IT Management blog.
